Flicker
by Sapphire Blizzard
Summary: Skywalkers... getting involved with this family is like setting your own appointment to the crematories. AU. Time travel. Poor, poor Ahsoka... [UNDER REVISION]
1. Reunion of a Sort

_**Notes:**_ Timeframe is approximately one month before the start of ANH.

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"C'mon, Rover!"Luke tried to hurry the range droid that accompanied him for repairs. "We got to move on to the next vaporator!"

He strode back to his landspeeder slinging his toolbox into the backseat. The quicker he finished the sooner he could hang out with his friends at Anchorhead. "I will leave you if you don't hurry!" Luke threatened. He wouldn't leave the little guy, but it was good for motivation.

The droid sent a panicked beep as it tried desperately to roll over whatever was in its way. Luke rolled his eyes. What was the darn thing bumping into now? He wished his uncle could afford a better maintenance droid. "You're stuck again, Rover?" he called.

The droid beeped an affirmative.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!"

Luke found Rover bumping against what appeared to be a humanoid leg. The person's upper body still was half buried in the sand. "Go around it, dummy!" Luke swerved the robot around the carcass. This poor soul must have gotten caught in the sandstorm from yesterday. Luke bent down and swept away the sand from the person's face. He gasped when he saw what he had uncovered.

A girl.

By the looks of her ruby orange skin and white markings in the shape of diamonds on her forehead, she was not human, but it made no difference regarding her beauty. Was she even alive? Luke felt for a pulse on her neck and to his surprise found a weak one.

"Ma'am? Ma'am!" He yanks her up.

"Mmh..." she coughed hoarsely. "Wha… what year is it?" she croaked, her voice caked with sand.

The question caught Luke off guard, but he answered her none of the less.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Luke's senses were flooded with the woman's despair. Since he was a boy, Luke had always been able to sense emotions on a much higher level than most people. Aunt Beru considered it a gift while Uncle Owen would roll his eyes and bark at him to "Man up already."

She squeezed her eyes tight. "…no… I sprung forward…" she moaned. "…great… just great…"

Luke didn't have the faintest idea what she was muttering. She was probably delirious from the heat. "Steady!" he hosted her up and helped her into his landspeeder. "Let me help you."

The vaporators could wait until tomorrow.

Luke took her to his home and administered some first aid in the form of Hydro strips. After he was done, Luke sat beside her watching her sleep for nearly 30 minutes before growing bored.

His eyes fell upon two identical cylinders clipped onto to her belt. Curiosity getting the best of him, Luke unhooked one. What a curious thing. Luke peered down into the bladeless hilt. As he rotated it, his thumb accidentally pressed a button on its side. A white beam of energy shot up from the handle.

"KRIFF!" Luke swore, dropping with the weapon. Once it hit the ground, the energy blade receded back into the hilt of the sword. The woman jerked awake at all the racket he was causing.

"No, no it's okay!" Luke assured her. "You are safe here!"

She peered around beadily. "...where… where am I?" she rasped.

"The Lars homestead."

Her eyelids drooped, mumbling something incoherent under her breath; the girl slumped down and fell back asleep.

Luke took one look at the mess he made and groaned. "Oh, no, not Aunt Beru's favorite armchair!" he lamented seeing the singed chair completely lanced in half.

His uncle and aunt were away for a few days due to business so maybe he could try to replace it before they returned. His hair, however, would take more time to recover. Luke sighed as he felt what remained of his charred bangs. He cleaned up the mess he unwittingly made and trimmed the remainder of his bangs the best he could.

It was late in the afternoon when the girl woke up again. She now had the strength to sit up at the dining room table. Luke got her some Electroqua to drink. It's what Aunt Beru gave to him whenever he was severely dehydrated.

"Here, this will help rehydrate you."

"Thanks," she gulped down the cool tangy liquid, letting out a tiny belch. Looking sheepish she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. "Excuse me…" she pardoned herself.

"About two cups should do it," he refilled her cup. "You're incredibly lucky to have survived a sandstorm the way you did," he remarked.

"Tell me," her voice sounded stronger and clearer now. "Is the Empire still in power?"

"…yes?" Luke answered slowly, almost warily. "Why wouldn't it be?"

The girl sighed. "You're right…" she agreed, sounding absolutely defeated. "Why shouldn't it be?" she glanced up at him for the first time with focused eyes. Her sadness melting away into shock as her jaw went slightly slack.

Remembering his shoddy bang from earlier, Luke self-consciously turned away. "Is… is something on my face?" he muttered.

"Sorry," Now the girl looked embarrassed. "Let's just say you remind me of… a certain someone," she answered cryptically.

Luke looked back at her shyly. "Is that a good thing?" he hoped.

"Yeah, it is." As if she was savoring a memory, a smile slowly spread across her face. "So, what is the name of my rescuer?"

The young man brightened. "I am Luke, Luke Skywalker-"

The cup in her hands fell to the ground with a clatter and the liquid spilled across the tiled floor. "S-Sorry!" she gasped.

The girl was about to descend to the floor when Luke caught her by the wrist. "No, it's okay!" he ducked under the table to retrieve it. "I got it!" He dumped it into the sink and retrieved a kitchen rag to wipe up the mess.

"Do… do you happen to be related to a man named Anakin Skywalker?" she asked urgently, her eyes desperately hopeful.

The young man stood straight, practically preening. "He is my father," he announced with great pride.

"So he _is_ alive!" She sounded so relieved. "Does Anakin live here with you? Please let me see him!"

Something broke in Luke at the sight of her joy, and he hated himself for giving her false hope. "No, wait, I'm sorry! I should have been a bit more specific… What I meant to say is that he _was_ my father. He's dead."

"…oh," the woman slumped. "As I thought… I... I am sorry for your loss…" she bowed her head almost in reverence.

Luke shook his head. She was too beautiful to look so sad. "Don't be sorry, you didn't know."

"What happened to him?" she murmured.

"He had been a navigator on a spice-freighter until his death-"

"He was a _what?_ " she hooted. "Anakin must be rolling in his grave to be remembered as a drug runner!"

Luke flushed. "T-That's what I was told… so, how did you know him?"

"He was my master."

Luke gasped in alarm. "You… you were his slave!?" He found this information disturbing. Having a slave owner as a father was something he did not envision for himself.

"What? No!" the girl corrected him quickly. "He never owned me! I was only learning from him because I was his Padawan!"

"Oh…" Luke blinked, sinking back in his seat feeling relieved. "What's a Padawan?"

"An apprentice to a Jedi Knight."

Luke blinked, his baby blue eyes going wide.

Unsure if he understood or not, the girl asked him, "Um... do you know what a Jedi is?"

"You're saying my father was not a spice smuggler but an actual…" Luke trailed, his mind spinning. "That means… _you're_ a Jedi too!" he breathed in awe. "I thought they were all extinct!"

Luke instantly regretted his words when he saw her flinch.

She self-consciously shifted her hands to her waist and found one of her cylinders missing. "Where is my other lightsaber?" She did not yell, but the fervency in her voice demand shook him to the core. "Did I lose it in the sands…" her eyes turned sharp. "…or did you take one?"

Luke held up his hands. "Don't be upset!" He fretted. "It's right over there!" He pointed to the counter.

The humanoid stood up abruptly to retrieve her weapon.

"Sorry, I, um, I looked at it while you were unconscious…" he confessed.

Her lips twitched. "Is that why you're missing a bang?" Luke's cheeks flushed as she began to laugh at his expense. "Well, at least you didn't burn a hole through your head!"

This couldn't get any more humiliating as he embarrassed himself in front of his father's student.

Luke's brow wrinkled when a thought came to him. "Wait... you said you were trained by my father before he died?"

"Yep," she nodded. "I was his apprentice for over two years."

Luke cocked his head to the side. "But you look so…um, actually, I not sure how your species age but-"

"I am nineteen," she answered with amusement.

"Okay, now this really doesn't make sense," Luke stated decisively. "How could you be trained by him and yet be the same age as me?"

She glanced over her shoulders. "Of course it does," she insisted. Luke felt his heart flutter at the sight of those sky-blue eyes twinkling for the first time. "When one uses time travel."

 _Time travel?_

Luke fell back into a stunned silence. It sounded too surreal to be true and yet, here she was. He recalled her words from earlier. The first thing she had asked him was the star date and muttered despairingly about "springing forward."

"…okay…" he decided to indulge her. "...somehow you ended up in the future. So what were you really trying to do?"

The girl retook her seat across from him. "I wanted to go backwards in time to prevent the rise of the Empire. Those were the intentions of me and my companion, but something like this hasn't been attempted before so-"

"You had a partner helping you?" Luke wondered if that person was still out there buried beneath the sand dunes.

"Yeah, but she's long gone by now. It's been seventeen years and I doubt she hung around that long," She sighed. Her lekku swayed side to side as she shook her head sadly.

Luke watched her transfixed. He had seen Twi'leks before, but never a… whatever species she was... Her lekku were an ivory white with navy blue stripes swirling down to its tips. So pretty, so unique. There wasn't much beauty on this sizzling rock he called home. Hutts were repulsive and the suns aged humans faster than the eye could blink.

"But apparently that's not how time travel works according to the Force…"

That got Luke's attention as the young woman continued.

"What is done is done. The past cannot be changed and travelers are not permitted to go backward. It does, however, allow a traveler to go forward."

"What is the Force?" he blurted.

She gaped at him with an incredulous look. "How could you _not_ know?"

Luke shifted uncomfortably. He did not want to look like an ignorant farm boy in front of her. "No one talks about it and the history data-cards don't contain any information regarding it. All I know it's some ancient religion of the Jedi-"

She rolled her eyes. "It's not a religion!" she retorted.

Luke held up his hands. "Sorry!" he apologized quickly. This sand angel had a bit of a temper. "That's all I was ever told!"

"Well, you are strong in the Force yourself, Luke," she remarked.

Luke blinked. "…I am?"

She nodded. "I can sense it flowing through you by just being in your presence, but still…" she trailed, looking even more disturbed. "…how could the child of my master be so oblivious in the ways of the Force?"

Luke's shoulders slumped. "It's not like he could tell me... my father was dead before I was born."

"Oh," her face softened. "So, you never knew him at all or any other Jedi?"

"No. I was raised as a baby here on Tatooine with my Aunt and Uncle."

The woman bowed her head to him. "Forgive my thoughtless words."

"Naw," Luke waved off her apology. "You meant no harm."

He glanced out the window to see the last glimpse of the suns on the horizon. "It's getting late so why don't you stay the night… I… I mean! Ahem!" he cleared his throat nervously. "I mean if you want to! It's just that it's dangerous traveling the dunes at night and well I-"

"Sure, I would love to stay with my master's kid. Thanks for the offer, Luke, and thank for all you did for me today," she smiled warmly at him.

"Y-Your welcome," he gulped, feeling strangely flustered. "Let me make us some dinner," Luke got up and headed into the kitchen. "I'll make you my specialty, dustcrepes with nausage!"

"That sounds good," she got up as well. "Can I help you?"

Luke waved her off. "You don't have to-"

"But I insist," she offered. "It's the least I could do."

"Well, okay. Thanks, um..." Luke trailed. "Sorry, I never asked what your name was," he chuckled sheepishly.

She paused, chewing her bottom lip as if contemplating whether to tell him or not. "… it's Ashoka… " she answered finally. "My name is Ashoka Tano."

"Why did you hesitate to tell me your name?" Luke muttered, feeling strangely hurt.

"It's been awhile since I used my real name… even before my time skip I was on the run from the Empire for two years going under the alias, Ashla."

Luke felt a rush of pity for her. "I'm sorry, Ahsoka," he whispered softly, testing her name on his tongue. He liked it.

"For what?"

"That the galaxy is still a mess 17 years later."

Ahsoka did a half shrug. "It's not your fault, kiddo."

 _My Master's kid._

 _Kiddo._

It irked Luke to have her consistently refer to him as a child. "We're the same age!" he reminded her.

"Only in body," she replies.

When their eyes connected, Luke found a deep sadness only found through the experience of loss and hardship in her depths. Just what had Ahsoka been through? He wanted to ask, but further questions could wait until tomorrow.

"...yeah, I guess you're right," Luke agreed. "Here, you can clean and peel these gattuti roots. Put them in the strainer when you're done."

"Alright."

After washing her hands, Ahsoka got to work peeling the roots while Luke heated up the stove and reached into the fridge to retrieve some batter. They settled into a comfortable silence with only the sounds of sizzling food and clanking utensils were heard as the rich aroma of fresh-baked crepes and spicy gattuti filled the air.

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Next Chapter: A day in Andante

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	2. A day in Andante

Luke hauled his toolkit to the landspeeder early the next morning. Today he really had to fix the broken vaporators or else Uncle Owen would have his head for missing their daily production numbers.

"Luke," Ahsoka lingered in the doorway. "Can I be of assistance?" she asked. "I'm savvy enough with machines."

Her offer perked up Luke's mood. "Sure, if you feel up to it." He hopped into the speeder and waited for Ahsoka to climb in before zooming away.

"So…" she raised her voice above the wind gust. "…you run a moisture farm?"

"Well, my aunt and uncle do," his grip tightened on the controls. "They want me to take over the family business."

"And you look sourer that a pararu fruit at the thought," she noted, raising a white brow.

"I… I always wanted to be a pilot," Luke confessed. "I wanted to enroll at the academy for years, but Uncle Owen keeps putting it off. All my closest friends are already gone, even my best mate Briggs has left nearly two years ago and I'm still here!" he vented, frustration clear in his voice.

Ahsoka says nothing. Luke began to feel ashamed of himself. Maybe he sounded too childish or too resentful to be taken seriously-

"Anakin liked flying," she mentioned casually, sparking Luke's interest. "He was the best fighter pilot in all the Republic. Although he had a habit of crashing ships and then blame the said ship," she giggled.

Luke snorted. "Then how can you say he was the best pilot if he totaled ships on a regular basis?" he asked skeptic.

"I said he was the best _fighter_ pilot, a happy landing is another thing!" Ahoska laughed. Luke found himself chuckling along with her. "Besides, it was wartime! Everyone had their fair shares of crashes. The point is that we managed to walk away from them!"

"Wait… _we?"_ Luke caught. _"You_ fought in the Clone Wars?" he realized.

"Yeah, on the front lines as a Commander."

Luke jerked. "But y-you… just how old were you when you saw battle?"

"I was a Jedi Padawan at the age of 14 when I joined Master Anakin and Master Kenobi on the battlefield-"

"You were a child!" Luke blurted. At 14 years old Ahsoka was out in the galaxy decimating armies and fending for her life while he played at home with toy starships. He _still_ played with starships. "I... I can't believe the Jedi turned their own younglings into child soldiers!"

She gave him a half-shrug. "In order to serve the Republic, we did…" Ahsoka trailed, her eyes becoming hooded. "It was a very dark and desperate time in the galaxy. Ironically the Jedi couldn't conquer the true darkness from within the Order itself... and so as a result we perished, and the Empire sprouted from our graves."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get you down. Talking about The Great Purge must be hard on you…" Luke trailed, feeling incredibly stupid.

"It is a little despairing to remember all that was lost, and the very tyrant who orchestrated your friends' demise still have an iron grip on the galaxy…" she facepalmed. "Is there anyone even _trying_ to stop the Emperor?"

"Well... there are rebel groups spouting up against the Empire," Luke remarked. "The official name is the Rebel Alliance I hear."

"Hmmm…" Ahsoka pondered quietly to herself. "...but how does one go about getting in contact with them?"

Luke felt a rush of panic rise within him. What if Ahsoka decided to join the Rebel Alliance and left Tatooine without him.

"I was in communication with Bail Organa right before I sprung forward in time. Perhaps I should try to reach out to him once more if he's still alive-"

"Can you train me?" Luke blurted in a desperate attempt to keep her around.

"Huh?" Ahsoka seemed taken aback by his demand.

"You said the Force is strong with me, right?" he reasoned.

"Yes, I did-"

"Then I want you to train me in the ways of the Force like my father before me!"

She hesitated. "But Luke even my learning was cut short prematurely-"

"Please?" He pleaded. "I am waiting for your instruction Mistress Ahsoka!"

"No, Luke, don't call me that," Ahsoka warned him sternly. "There's no variation between male and female. It's just master, and please don't call me that either. I am not the master of anyone!" her face softened. "However, I will do my best to pass on all I know to you."

"Thank you, Ahsoka."

She nodded. "We're starting from the basics. That means my least favorite subject, meditation."

"Huh?" Luke blinked. "What good will that do?"

"In order to use the Force one must be attuned with it."

* * *

When they decided to take a break in the afternoon under the shade of a canyon wall, Ahsoka introduced Luke to the art of meditation and it was so, _so_ boring!

Completely opposite of Luke's expectations for what he expected his Jedi training to be. His mind began to wander to all the things he could be doing instead like fixing the rest of those rickety vaporators scattered throughout the range-

"Cast your duties aside and focus solely on the Force," Ahsoka's voice flittered into his ears.

"What exactly is the Force again?" Luke wondered impatiently. Ahsoka had mentioned how it was like an energy field surrounding them, but he still didn't get it.

"The Force connects every living entity in the universe," Ahsoka recited patiently. "By residing in all life forms to the smallest grain of sand on this planet to you, yourself."

Luke snuck a peek to see Ahsoka sitting across from him deep in meditation. Looking so calm and serene. Rather cute as well-

"Stop staring at me and clear your mind, Luke," Ahoska commanded him without opening her eyes.

"But you're so pretty to look at," he teased.

Her lips twitched wryly. "Try again Kiddo, that was far too weak for me to be flattered."

Luke tilted his head. "Did it hurt you, Ahsoka?" he asked suddenly.

"What did?"

"When you fell from the Moons of Lego?"

"For Force's sake-"

"Well don't worry, Ahsoka, your fall barely left a mark, except one. I was unable to find your wings..." Luke stroked his chin, feigning curiosity. "Did you leave them buried in the sand dunes?"

"Boy, stop, just _stop_ , _"_ Ahsoka shook her head. "I swear your pickup lines are as bad as Anakin's! Here, let's do something different…" Ahsoka placed a pebble in front of him. "Lift this," she challenged him.

Luke reached over to pick it up, but Ahsoka swatted his hand. "What?" he demanded testily. "You told me to pick it up!"

"Try lifting it by using the Force."

"… _how_ exactly?"

"Like this..." The stone began to levitate in the air.

"You… you're doing that!" Luke realized in awe.

"And you can do it too," the pebble floated back down to the ground. "Now focus on the pebble."

Luke frowned as he concentrated. He imagined himself lifting the rock, straining his mind as he homed in on the pebble. To his amazement, the pebble began to wobble.

"Good," Ahsoka commended him softly. "Keep going."

Luke squinted eyes as he focused his entire being on lifting it from the ground. The pebble wobbled from side to side, but it didn't move from the ground. Luke groaned as his focus broke. He sat back feeling rather fatigued.

"See?" Ahsoka said. "This is why it's essential for you to meditate. When the mind is clear and attuned to the Force, it will be effortless to lift the pebble or even your landspeeder-"

"What?!" Luke balked. A pebble was one thing, but a 2-ton vehicle was another. "But Ahsoka, that's much too heavy!"

Ahsoka shook her head. "Size and weight do not matter if the will of the mind is stronger."

Luke slumped, feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry I didn't do better…"

"Nonsense, you did wonderful on your first try! As I've told you before, you are very strong in the Force. Think of it as strengthening a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it'll become," Ahsoka got to her feet. "Now, stand up. The body must be trained along with the mind so I will show you some basic fighting stances. Are you ready to begin?"

Luke's eyes gleamed happily. "Sure!"

* * *

Growing up on Tatooine with no end of bullies and thugs Luke gotten into scuttles before. He won some and lost some, but now he only lost. No surprise that Ahsoka was on an entirely different level.

"Congratulations, kiddo, you get to eat sand again!" she goaded as she flipped him over her shoulder and Luke plummeted face first into the sand below.

"Ro-" Luke spat sand out of his mouth. His face was red from the heat and exertion, but he got up anyway, shaking off the sand the best he could. "...Round eleven!"

Luke backed off a few feet and settled into an elementary stance she had taught him. He wouldn't give up. No matter he has gotten pummeled almost a dozen times already: He _will_ be a Jedi like her and his father before him.

Ahsoka smiled fondly at him. "Your enthusiasm is commendable..." She positioned herself in front of him. "But this time don't focus on solely on brute attack. Instead feel your way through this spar," Ahsoka advised him. "Listen to the Force and it will guide you."

Luke thought for a moment before taking a deep breath and exhaling. He relaxed back into position. This time he goes at her more cautiously. Luke even managed to elude some of her attacks. Something in the depths of his consciousness would whisper out a warning before the hit came.

When Ahsoka swooped in from the side to see what he would do, to both their surprise, Luke managed to catch her wrist.

Ahoska smiled triumphantly. "See?" she winked at him, causing him to flush a darker shade of red. "You're getting better with every fight, Skyboy, but you still have a lot to learn!" She twisted her foot around Luke's ankle and brought him down. "At least this time you lasted four minutes, congrats!"

Luke spat out another mouthful of dirt. _"Skyboy!"_ he asked incredulously. "Did you really just call me that?"

Ahsoka walked past him. "You're a Skywalker and technically I am older than you," she pointed out.

"Um, no!" Luke clumsily got his feet to follow her. "Again, Ahsoka, we're the same age!" he reminded for the umpteenth time.

"I'm 19 years old plus 17 years which makes me 36 years old-"

"Time skipping doesn't count!"

"Oh yes it does, Skyboy-"

"If I got to have a nickname it's gonna be Sky _man!_ "

"Hmm…" Ahsoka tilted her head to the side as if she was considering it. "I'll think about it."

"What do I have to do to get you to call me that?" he demanded.

Ahsoka placed her hands on her hips. "You will have to earn it."

"Challenge accepted!" Luke declared. Ahsoka rolled her eyes at him, completely unimpressed by his bravado. "Let's have one more round!"

"Luke, I'm getting hungry," Ahsoka tried to discourage him.

"For...?" he trailed. She sent him a disgusted look. "NO, FOOD! I meant FOOD!"

She sent him a skeptic look but finally answered. "…for pallies."

"Oh, sorry, but we're out of that fruit at home. On the next trip into town, I'll make sure to get a bushel for you."

"Um, I don't think I could eat _that_ much, Luke…"

"Don't be coy," Luke laughed. "Last night I've witnessed firsthand the black hole that is your stomach!"

In playful retaliation, Ahsoka nudged him in the ribs making him laugh harder.

"C'mon, let's go finish fixing those vaporators before it gets too late," he said, striding back toward the landspeeder. "Then we'll have another round! And I will win next time."

"Keep telling yourself that," Ahsoka replies. "You're making progress but you still have a way to-" she tensed suddenly. "…Luke…" Her hands went to her lightsabers.

Luke paused in midstride, he felt it too.

A strange sensation crawled up his spine and settled into the back of his mind. Danger! Danger! His senses blaring like a blow horn. Luke glanced around trying to pinpoint the threat and found nothing. Beige on top of beige with rock and stone. It offered too good a camouflage to anything hiding among the rocks-

"LOOK OUT!"

With what felt like an invisible hand Luke thrust forward behind the shelter of a nearby boulder just as a rain of bullets came pelting down. Ahsoka got caught in the opening. Her lightsabers sung to life to fend off the barrage spitted metal as they swirled around her in a defensive swirl of white lights.

A primitive battle cry echoed in the canyon. "Kriff!" Luke hissed. They must have wandered a bit too close to the territory of the Tusken Raiders for them to be attacking them like this in broad daylight like this.

The Tuskens hiding among the rocks continued to fire shots at them from across the chasm. Luke took out his blaster and fired back whenever he got a chance. He managed to shoot two of them dead, but they were a large pack. Luke estimated there were about 30 hunters and more than half had guns.

Ahsoka steady moved closer to his shelter fending off most of the bullets. They exploded and twinkled like little dying stars against the swing of her blade. But some shots still made it through her defense. One managed to graze her across the cheek.

"Tch!" Ahsoka hissed in annoyance. "I can't deflect metal bullets easily as laser protons nor can I ricochet them! We're gonna have to make a run for it at the first opportunity!"

Luke fired another shot from behind the boulder only to get a spray of bullets in retaliation. "No complaints from me!" He ducked down to avoid being hit. Ahsoka was not as lucky. A stray bullet managed to hit her in the ankle. Ahsoka bit back a cry as she stumbled.

"AHSOKA!"

"It's not bad..." she gritted. Ahsoka continued to defend herself, but it was only a matter of time before more bullets slipped through her defenses. "Luke, I will cover you! On my mark, I need you to run-"

" No! Not without you-"

"I am ordering you to retreat!" Ahsoka retorted. "There's nothing you can do!"

Luke lifted his eyes to the canyon wall high upon the ravine with visible crevasses at the top part of the rock. With just the right pressure he could bring it down using the Force. "Yes, there is!" Luke concentrated on the base of the crack, willing it to break further.

"LUKE! LISTEN TO ME!"

"I..." Pain exploded in the back of his head from the exertion, but Luke would not relent. "... I WON'T LET THEM KILL YOU, AHSOKA!"

He reached up with both hands tugging, urging it to fall forward until finally a part of the cliff broke under its weight. Once that came tumbling down the rest of the ledge crumbled into a landslide upon the Tusken hunters below.

Many were killed instantly, and the few survivors that managed to escape their rocky grave fled in terror.

Ahsoka extinguished her lightsabers and slumped against the cliff wall. Once the dust settled, they were alone. Luke fell to his knees in exhaustion. His felt like his head was about to split open, but other than that he was alright. "Ahsoka!" he called out. "Are you alright!?"

"I'll live... thanks to you-" she bit back a cry as she tried to hobble over to him.

"D-Don't!" Luke staggered to her. "Don't agitate your injury!"

Ahsoka shook her head. "They'll... be back in numbers...we must go," she cautioned.

"Then let me help you," Luke wrapped an arm around her waist. "I'm strong enough to support you!"

Ahsoka hesitated. "You don't have to. I can-"

"But I like carrying you when you're hurt!" Luke insisted.

"Ha!" Ahsoka scoffed. She threw an arm over his shoulder. "Sorry, Luke, but I am not planning on making it a habit!"

"Aw…" Luke pouted with mock disappointment as he guided her back towards the landspeeder. "Then how will I find another reason to hold you in my arms?"

Much to his surprise, Ahsoka quipped, "You could just say please."

"Huh?" Luke blinked. "…really?"

"Yeah," Ahsoka laughed at his reaction. "I just don't want to be held _only_ when I'm injured!"

"Oh," Luke chuckled. "I guess I wouldn't like that either!"

* * *

The two managed to make it back to the homestead without any further incidents. Luke parked the speeder in the garage. He got out and walked around to the passenger side door. "Pretty please?" he held out his arms to Ahsoka.

Ahsoka smirked. "Since you asked so nicely," She allowed him to pick her up and carry her over the threshold and into the compound.

"Home, sweet home!" Luke sang out loud.

"Oh, stars you are so corny..." she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Just a little," Luke admitted. "Here," he gently lowered down onto a futon in the living room.

"Thank you, Luke."

Ahsoka couldn't surpass a wince as she tried unzipping her boot.

"Here, Sok, allow me to do that for you," Luke gently peeled back the boot and set it aside. He rolled up her pant leg. "Ahsoka," Luke's face pinched at what he saw. "You're bruised here too..."

"Never mind that, what about the bullet?"

Luke assessed her injury. "Not so bad, just give me a second! " he sprinted off and returned with a medical kit.

Luckily the bullet wound was very shallow due to Ahsoka's boot guard taking the brunt of the shot. Luke plucked it out with a pair of surgical tweezers.

"I can take it from here," Ahsoka laid her hand on her ankle. "I'm going into a healing trance," she told him.

"You did that before haven't you?" Luke recalled. "When I found you in the desert?"

"Yes, I did," Ahsoka nodded. "When I got caught in the sandstorm, I immediately entered the trance to keep myself alive until, well, I guess until you arrived."

"Hmm..." Luke pondered to himself. "...if that's the case, I want to try something real quick."

Luke laid his hand on her injury and then closed his eyes, falling into the waves of the Force. He didn't know what he was doing exactly, but Luke focused on Ahsoka's wound imagining it healing, willing her muscles to rejuvenate. Allowing the blood flow to increase to the area without causing inflammation. As he focused, Luke noticed a strange sense of warmth flowing from him and into her foot.

"It's...it's working!" Ahsoka muttered to his surprise. "Here, let me guide you," Ahsoka laid her hand on top of his.

Luke felt his neck heating up. Doing his best not to react, he focused solely on her wound. Sparks of silver entered his vision intertwining with his signature. He wanted to touch it, to explore her, but would have to wait till another time.

The wound slowly closed up under their fingertips until it was nothing but a superficial puncture skin wound.

"Now all I need now is a bacta patch and I'll be good as new."

"Sure," Luke reached over to grab medical bandage when he stumbled. A sudden weakness overtook him. He griped the edge of the futon to keep himself from falling off it. "…wha… what is-"

"Easy!" Ahsoka grabbed hold of his shoulders to keep him from swaying. Luke allowed Ahsoka to pull his body back. She laid him besides her on the couch. "You're suffering from force strain," Ahsoka explained. "Meaning you have exerted yourself just a bit too much today."

Feeling completely drained, Luke slumped down, closing his eyes. "I think you're right…" he groaned, now painfully aware of every cut on his skin and every ache in his body, down to his very bones.

"You should be fine by tomorrow if you rest," Ahsoka assured him.

Luke cracked open an eye only see her a few inches away. He felt the blood rushing to his cheeks. Even looking grimy, covered in dirt and dried blood, she was still beautiful. The prettiest girl he had ever seen on Tatooine.

"You really are a fast learner," Ahsoka commended him.

"…I am?" Luke had to take her word for it. It's not like he could compare himself to another force user in training.

"Well it is impressive for you grasp the basics of Force healing completely on your own. Basically on a whim!"

He arched an eyebrow. "…and that's a big deal…?"

Her eyes bulged at his oblivious question. "Yes! That is considered an advanced skill that not many force users can do. You have a natural attitude for it."

Luke managed a weak shrug. "Well, from what you taught me, I figured since the Force is in every living thing, which had to include an organism's cells too," he reasoned.

"Yes, it does, but not only that, you also managed to use the Force to bring down that canyon wall and ended up saving both our lives today! You..." she trailed, tilting her head to the side as if she was contemplating something. She ruffled his hair with a giggle. "Anakin would be proud of you, Skyman."

Luke couldn't stop the boyish grin spreading across his cheeks at hearing his preferred nickname. "Now that's better."

"Hmph, the markings of a true Jedi is humility," she reminded him.

"Sorry, I'll keep that in mind," Luke wasn't sure if he was imagining it or not, but he noticed a pinkish hue growing to overtake the white flesh of her lekku. He blinked. "Ahsoka…are... are you blushing?" he wondered.

Her Lekku turned even a darker shade of red leaving no white flesh remaining.

Yep, she was-

"Ahem," someone coughed suddenly.

Ahsoka blinked. So did Luke. They turned their heads to see a late middle-aged couple standing in the doorway.

"U-Uncle Owen!" Luke yelped. "Aunt Beru, you're home early!"

"And not a moment too soon..." his uncle grumbled.

Luke held up his hands as he scooted back from Ahsoka. "I can explain, Uncle!"

"You had better," Owen crossed his arms. "And tell your cheap escort to get out of my house!" he demanded.

"W-What did he call me?" Ahsoka blurted, sounding mortified.

Aunt Beru sent her husband a sideways glare. "Owen!" she chided.

"Oh please, Beru, we've been gone for nearly a week! Who knows what has happened during our absence!"

Luke sat straighter then, squaring his chin. "Well, certainly nothing of that sort!" he retorted firmly. "Her name is Ahsoka Tano and she's my friend, _not_ an escort!"

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Next Chapter: To Our Suprise

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